CREDIT: KRISTA KANKULA
London will be hosting its first vegan festival on October 25 at the Western Fair District.

The Forest City will host its first annual VegFest London vegan festival on October 25 at the Western Fair District.

The festival will feature food and drink vendors, community groups and organizations, guest speakers and product and service vendors.

London’s Veg Out vegan restaurant will also be doing a cooking demo.

“VegFest London is going to be a one-day free festival for people to come check out the alternatives that are out there for people that maybe are interested in eating more plant-based or living a vegan lifestyle,” said festival organizer Krista Kankula.

Kankula said she got the idea from similar festivals in Toronto and the Niagara region. She is the co-founder of Vegup London, a local vegetarian and vegan social group.

VegFest’s guest speakers will include award-winning photojournalist and author of We Animals Jo-Anne McArthur, food bloggers Lauren Toyota and John Diemer of hotforfoodblog.com and motivational speaker Marty the Health Guy.

They will be discussing topics related to plant-based diets and their relevance to health and the environment.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for Londoners to get out and try some new vegetarian dishes and maybe get some new ideas if people are thinking of going vegetarian or vegan,” said Veg Out founder Florine Morrison.

Vendors will include London’s Organic Works Bakery and Tamarine by Quynh Nhi Southern Vietnamese Cuisine, Barrie’s Rawlicious and Toronto’s Sweets from the Earth, among others.

Community groups and organizations such as the Western Ontario Vegan Society and the London Food Co-operative and product and service vendors such as Live Food London and Know Thy Food will also be there.

The event will include free yoga.

“I encourage people to come, check it out, have an open mind and just see what’s out there,” Kankula said.

For more information, visit vegfestlondon.com